The LTC committee present their donation to Mrs Green, founder of MaaChild

Charity | Posted 11.02.2015

LTC supports Maasai children

Stonyhurst’s charity, Learning to Care, is supporting an educational charity in Kenya. LTC have donated £1,400 to MaaChild, which aims to extend the education of children of the Maasai, and to improve their lives and opportunities. Currently, there is no provision for pupils who show potential, but who live in poverty, to continue their education beyond primary level.

MaaChild was set up by Mrs Therese Green from Whalley. “I first visited Kenya in 2005, as part of my university research into wildlife conservation, ecology, local environmental and cultural studies”, said Mrs Green. “In the following years I witnessed the rapid development of Kenya and how these changes are now also a fact of life for this Maasai community. So I wanted to do something to improve the educational entitlement for the Maasai children in this area. Whenever we assist a young person from one of the village communities we know it prepares them for the inevitable changes they will experience in their culture. This year is really exciting because MaaChild’s first beneficiaries are just about to leave school. I’m going to Kenya later this month to see how they’ve progressed.”

Mrs Green emphasises the charity’s holistic approach towards supporting the Maasai: “We have started providing solar lamps to replace the paraffin lamps which are used in their homesteads; these cause numerous respiratory health problems. Also, without adequate light, the children can’t study properly.”

Stonyhurst’s donation will help to provide 4 years of sustainable secondary education for the six Maasai children – four girls and 2 boys – who are about to start secondary school this week. The funds were raised at the Rhetoric Fair on Campion Day. Members of the LTC committee decided to make a donation to MaaChild following Mrs Green’s presentation about the charity last term.